


Insomnia

by Sourlander



Series: February Ficlet Challenge [10]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Lost Love, teacher life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 04:23:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17738930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sourlander/pseuds/Sourlander
Summary: For once Minerva is glad the Weasley twins messed up her classroom





	Insomnia

**Author's Note:**

> Another ficlet for the FFC. Today's prompt: Character A can't sleep.
> 
> This ficlet takes place during book 3.

The last lesson of the day had been the Gryffindor fifth years. Minerva McGonagall usually enjoyed these lessons, but today her patience been tested more than ever before. She’d only just finished removing the persistent bubble gum stains from the tables in her classroom, when she looked at the clock on her wall and saw that it was high time to take over corridor duty from Snape.

            She stood up again, ignoring her aching back. The Weasley twins really had done their best to mess up this lesson… well, maybe they hadn’t done it on purpose. That bubble gum firework they’d set off towards the end of the lesson had looked experimental at best and Fred Weasley had gotten a singed eyebrow as a souvenir. With a sigh, she cursed herself for not forcing the two of them to clean up the mess they’d created… but to be fair she also didn’t mind the excuse to give Dumbledore a pass on his weekly conference. It wasn’t as though they weren’t important, but those meetings weren’t her favourite part of the week. And yes, she preferred scrubbing magic bubble gum stains from her tables sometimes.

            Maybe she ought to give the Weasley twins a pass grade after all.

            She headed towards the corridor, where Snape was standing guard. He wasn’t even doing his usual prowling, just standing there, staring out of the window, hands clenched. If anything, he was paler than usual. “I’m here, Severus,” she said, but Snape didn’t even look at her.

            She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but this business with Sirius Black was really getting to him. Why that was, she didn’t dare ask. And she didn’t want to think about it. About why exactly Snape was this angry… whether it was because he and Black had been enemies at school, or because it had something to do with Snape’s past allegiances…

            Minerva stood up straight. “Severus?”

            He shook his head. “It’s alright, Minerva,” he said almost softly. “I can’t sleep anyway. I’ll take this shift as well.”

            She was about to say something, when she saw that he was holding something in his hand, but from where she stood, she could only see the back of a photograph. His hand was shaking slightly, as he tried putting it in his pocket to hide it from her.

            Minerva nodded. “Alright,” she said. “Just let me know, when you want me to take over after all.”

            He nodded, still without looking at her, and as she walked away, he took the photograph out again to look at it… at Lily… if only he’d be the one to catch Black. He’d make him suffer for what he’d done.


End file.
